Sherwin Long
2000 MAX Fellow
Boston Renaissance Charter Public School, Boston, MA
In 2000, Sherwin penned an award-winning essay recounting his heroic act of saving his brother from drowning. His remarkable story was later showcased in a book written by T. A. Barron titled The Hero's Trail: A Guide for a Heroic Life, which celebrated the extraordinary achievements of children.
Reflecting on the experience, Sherwin writes:
“Being a MAXCourage essay winner impacted my life in an interesting way! It made me feel like I was a hero! To be recognized for saving my brother's life and being able to share that moment with my family and others was a great fulfilling feeling. I ran into the teacher [who] helped me work on the essay and we couldn’t believe it has been 20 years since then. We talked and laughed about how she had to bribe me with food to sit down and stay focused. It’s amazing how precious moments become old memories lost in time. An author used my story from the courage book in his book about historical heroic icons like Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman and a plethora of others. I’m very grateful to be considered and hope that MAXCourage continues to highlight the unsung heroes!”
Sherwin holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and works as an illustrator today. His work has been displayed in local businesses and libraries, and featured in special exhibitions at the Massachusetts statehouse and in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts’s digital gallery. He has also taught art classes and helped organize arts and cultural events in his community.
Sherwin’s Essay
Monique Douglas, Teacher
Boston Renaissance Charter School
“My parents were so proud of me and that made me feel good about what I did.”
In the fall of 1996, my family and I went to Florida. I was nine and my brother, Joshua, was six years old. Florida was a beautiful and hot place. Since it was hot we always played in the pool but neither of us could swim, so we just splashed around. I made a new friend at the pool, his name was Simmon. He was very tall and fun to be around. Simmon loved arcades and candy, and I did too. My family always went to the carnival, but I chose to stay and play with Simmon.
Two days before we had to leave, my brother and I went to the pool. I saw Simmon so I went over to play with him. I heard splashing, so I look behind me and it was my brother, Joshua, struggling in the deep end of the pool. I yelled for my mother as I headed for him. I tried to run in the water which was almost impossible because the water held me back. As I moved towards my brother, he was struggling to keep his head above the water. I finally got to him, pushed him with all my might and my mother grabbed him. As he got out of the water, he was gasping for air.
There was another problem. I was still in the deep end, splashing and struggling. The weird thing was that splashing was keeping me on top of the water and pushing me towards the steps. As I reached the steps, I crawled out of the pool feeling like my heart was about to burst, because I was so scared.
My parents were so proud of me and that made me feel good about what I did. This was courage because I could have died, but I still tried and succeeded.